It's been almost a month of trying to hit 1700 calories a day. I seriously thought it was longer until I went back and checked the date of my initial post. I've been slipping the last few days though not getting enough calories.

What I've been doing:

Dumbbell strength training 3 x a week
short walks with my dog
a few times kayaking an hour each

This is a serious change from doing intense workouts everyday plus walking 4 miles a day all trying to be under 1200 calories--over a year of this.

What I've noticed since eating more and cutting back the workouts:

My t-shirts are looser.
I'm not hungry all the time.
I'm better mentally focused.

Onward.